Taken by Storm
by Vizkopa
Summary: A young woman is found adrift on the open sea, her crew dead, her ship and captain missing. Saved from near death by the Straw Hat Pirates, they agree to help in the search for her lost captain. But she may not like what she finds... Rated M for some violence/gore and strong language.
1. Prologue

**Prologue: The Girl with the Midnight Eyes**

A shrill voice invaded Zoro's dreams and he furrowed his brow in annoyance. There was only one person who could pull him back into the waking world with such immediacy.

"Idiot love-cook," he growled under his breath, lifting an eyelid to shoot a death glare at the fawning blond. Yawning widely, Zoro stretched out his stiff joints, groaning as each one offered a satisfying pop. He had slept longer than intended and the sun was already well on its way into the western sky.

_Now I'm awake, might as well get in some training,_ he thought with a shrug and made his way across the deck. A speck of black against the blue waves caught his eye and stopped him in his tracks. In the distance, but drawing ever nearer was a piece of wreckage, not at all uncommon on the Grand Line. But just as he was about to turn away, he spotted a figure, clearly unconscious and clutching desperately at the makeshift raft. He opened his mouth, a call already forming in his throat, but a voice from far above beat him to the punch.

"O-oi!" called Usopp, his voice quaking ever so slightly. "There's someone in the water!" As he spoke the words

But Zoro was already striding forward, kicking off his boots as he went, laying his katana carefully aside. By the time he reached the railing he was almost at a run, not hesitating to dive into the icy water below. He heard a splash behind him as he surfaced and knew Sanji had followed, the cook's powerful legs bringing him swiftly to the surface beside Zoro.

"I don't see them," Sanji growled, flicking his wet hair from his eyes.

Zoro said nothing, treading water as he scanned the endless blue for any sign of the mysterious figure. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed movement and turned just in time to see a single hand as it slipped beneath the surface. He took off at an alarming pace, stopping for only a moment to draw a deep breath before plunging below the waves.

The salt water stung his eyes, but he forced them open, squinting as he peered into the gloomy depths. Nothing. He kicked out in the direction he had seen the hand, his strong arms pulling him swiftly through the pressing weight of the water. He did not make it far before his need for oxygen forced him to return to the surface. Sanji surfaced a few meters away, shaking his head.

Cursing, Zoro took another breath before submerging. This time he spotted a body to his left, slowly sinking, a deep red stream winding its way to the surface amongst the bubbles. It was a young woman, perhaps around his age, and she appeared to be badly wounded.

Ignoring the burning in his lungs, he struck out toward the sinking figure, looping one strong arm around her torso before making a beeline for open air. He inhaled sharply as he broke the surface, blinking the water from his eyes. He glanced down at the girl. Her pale hair was plastered to her scalp and her eyes were closed. He could not tell if she was breathing. Cursing, he set a course back to the Sunny, dragging her through the water in his wake. He only hoped the trail of blood that followed would go unnoticed by the sea kings that lurked in the depths.

As he approached the ship, Zoro felt movement and glanced down to find the girl had opened her eyes. _Good,_ he thought,_ at least she's not dead._ Though if he did not hurry back to the ship, he knew she would be soon. Her gaze was unfocused and she seemed to be struggling to stay conscious, her breath coming in short shuddering gasps. The water around them was tinged pink.

All of a sudden, her vision seemed to clear and her eyes snapped wide. She uttered an incoherent cry and kicked out, thrashing to escape the grip of the stranger who held her. Zoro's grip tightened about her waist and he felt a sting of guilt as she winced in pain.

_Broken ribs,_ he thought. That did not deter her though, and he cringed as her nails raked his arm. They went under momentarily and salt water flooded Zoro's mouth.

"Oi, oi!" he spluttered as he struggled to keep them both afloat. "I'm trying to help you here!"

At his words, her struggling intensified and he could feel them both beginning to slip below the waves.

"Stop your struggling or we'll both drown. Or would you rather I leave you to the sea kings?"

That got her attention.

She glared at him and for a moment he almost lost himself in her eyes. They were the colour of the midnight sky, a blue so dark it was almost black. Against his will, he felt his cheeks flush with heat and his heart rate quicken. _Beautiful…_

"Oi, marimo, up here!" Zoro did not even have time for a retort before he and the girl were pulled from the water by multiple pairs of arms. They were hauled unceremoniously onto the deck, drenched and shivering. The girl had fallen unconscious again, her lips blue and trembling with cold.

"Get her to the infirmary," Chopper piped up, his tone urgent.

"Let me," said Sanji.

And before he knew it, the girl was lifted from Zoro's arms and whisked away. The rest of the crew followed out of curiosity and concern, and he was left alone on and wondering what the hell had just come over him. A roll of thunder sounded in the distance, an accompaniment to the thundering of his heart. He scowled.

"Looks like we're in for a storm."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Amaya the Storm**

Amaya drifted in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of a dull pain in her side and a pounding in her head. She could hear the low drone of voices nearby, but when she tried to decipher what was being said, it only made her head spin and throb painfully. She had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there, and yet here she was – alive despite all odds.

The surface beneath her was soft and warm, and beckoned her back into the sweet abyss of sleep, but she would not let it take her – not until she had some answers. Her mind moved sluggishly as she tried to piece together her thoughts, her memories of the events that had led to that moment. There had been so much pain, and biting cold, and then the warm arms of a man she had never met, yet whose intense gaze and odd green hair had followed her into her dreams. Someone had found her – that much she knew. The question was whether it had been friend or foe.

She let out a groan and the voices ceased, and she heard the pitter-patter of small feet and the longer stride of another as they approached her bedside. With immense effort, she forced her eyes open, but the best she could manage was a squint, which left the figures that loomed over her ominously out of focus.

"You're awake! How are you feeling?"

The voice was high pitched, like that of a child. It seemed to pierce the veil of sleep that suffocated her and she found herself able to lift herself into a half-sitting position. She winced as her side twinged.

"Hurts," she growled. "But I've had worse." Then she blinked as her eyes focused on the two strangers.

The smaller, the one who had spoken, caught her attention first. _Ta_…_nuki?_ Amaya was well aware that she was staring, but the creature merely stared back with a look of concern. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyelids, wondering if she was still dreaming. When she opened them again, however, the creature was still there.

"What- er… _who_ are you?" Amaya asked tentatively.

It was the second stranger who answered. Amaya had forgotten his presence until that point and hastily moved to cover herself with the sheets, but realised there was no cause for concern. She was naked from the waist up, but her torso had been neatly and thoroughly bound in fresh white bandages.

"You're aboard the Thousand Sunny. This is Doctor Tony Tony Chopper of the Straw Hat Pirates. And as for me, you can call me _Mister Prince!_~" He took Amaya's hand and looked into her eyes. "And who might you be, mysterious beauty from the sea?"

She eyed him warily before replying. "Amaya," she said bluntly.

"What a fitting name for such a stunning siren! Are you hungry, Amaya-chan?"

_Amaya-chan!?_

She thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it…"

His face lit up. "Then I shall make you a feast fit for a goddess of the sea!" He rushed from the room, leaving Amaya stunned in his wake. She turned back to the creature (_Chopper?_), her bewilderment evident on her face.

He chuckled. "That's Sanji, our cook." Then his expression became more serious. "It's lucky we found you. Your wounds aren't extensive, but any longer and you would have bled out. What happened to you?"

Amaya looked down at her hands. They were trembling slightly but she could not discern the reason. Her mind was a blank. "I… don't remember… How long have I been out?"

"No more than a day. It looks like you were shot. One bullet grazed your side and cracked some ribs, the second I had to extract from your stomach. You're lucky it didn't hit any major organs." As he spoke, Chopper performed a routine check-up, taking her temperature and blood pressure, shining a bright light into her eyes that made her head throb painfully. Seemingly satisfied with the results, he backed off and returned his instruments to their rightful places. "You'll have to take it easy for a few weeks or you'll tear your stitches."

Amaya peered down at her side to examine the damage, gingerly fingering the places where blood had already begun to seep through the bandages. She winced as her fingers came in contact with the delicate flesh. "It seems I was lucky to have been rescued by a skilled doctor."

"Shut up, your praise doesn't make me happy at all, you asshole!" cried the creature, though his expression was one of pure, unbridled glee. "It wasn't me who rescued you though. You should thank Zoro for that."

_Zoro?_

"Let's go meet the others. Can you walk?"

"I think so…"

She shakily got to her feet and after she was sure she would not collapse, began reaching for her boots that sat by the end of the bed. She gritted her teeth against the pain as she pulled them on, then cast her eyes around for something to cover her torso. They fell on a red hoodie, neatly folded on the bedside table. She threw it around her shoulders, gingerly sliding her arms into the sleeves and zipping it closed.

Ready, Amaya nodded to Chopper to lead the way, but before she could take a step she realised something was wrong. Something was… missing. She reached for her thigh to feel the familiar touch of steel against her fingers, but they only met thin air. She froze mid step.

"Where are my weapons?"

Chopper paused and smiled sheepishly. "We thought it would be best if we took them away, at least until we knew you weren't a Marine… You're not a Marine are you?"

She shook her head.

"Well I'm sure Usopp would be happy to give them back to you once he's done examining them. He said he's never seen anything like them before."

Amaya narrowed her eyes. She did not know who this 'Usopp' was, but if he had messed with her weapons in any way, he would suffer a world of pain.

She could hear the murmur of voices from behind a door at the end of the room and strode forward with a purpose, ignoring the insistent pain in her side as her stitches stretched. She practically kicked the door down onto what appeared to be a kitchen and dining area, and glared daggers at those behind it. Conversation had ceased entirely as all eyes turned on her.

"Which one of you… has my weapons?" she said, her voice dangerously calm.

She heard a shriek of fright from her left and her head shot around to fix her eyes on the culprit. A man with an absurdly long nose quailed under her glare.

"S-sorry! I just wanted to take a look!" He pulled out a pair of holsters containing a dozen steel spikes each and thrust them at Amaya. "You seemed to have lost some so I made some new ones to replace them. I hope you don't mind. They're some sort of projectile, right?"

Amaya paused, taken aback. "T-thank you… And yes, bo-shuriken." She took the weapons from his outstretched hands and strapped then around her thighs. She sighed happily when she felt their familiar weight once more.

The man seemed fascinated. "You have to show me how they work!"

"Uh… sure."

When she looked up, she found herself suddenly face to face with a man in a straw hat. He looked her over, squinting suspiciously.

"You a Marine?"

"No, I'm a pirate," Amaya replied.

His face broke out in a wide grin and he chuckled. "We're all good then!" He pulled himself up to his full height and puffed out his chest. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I'm gonna be king of the pirates! And this is my crew!"

Amaya's gaze went around the table as the rest of the crew introduced themselves.

"Usopp, sniper!"

"Nami, the navigator!"

"Franky, _supeeer_ shipwright!"

"Robin, archaeologist. Nice to meet you."

"And of course you've already met our doctor, Chopper, and our cook, Sanji."

Amaya's head pounded with the sudden surge of information, but she smiled and nodded politely. Absently, she noticed a certain green-haired man was absent. As she wondered when she would get to thank her rescuer, she realised the Straw Hat Pirates were looking at here expectantly.

"Oh, I'm-"

"Amaya the Storm, first mate of the Red Rain Pirates. Bounty: 25, 000, 000 beli."

Everyone's heads turned at the sound of the voice. In the doorway stood a man with green hair, arms crossed and three katana glinting dangerously on his hip. His mouth was set in a hard line.

"Where's the rest of your crew?"

Amaya though for a moment but it only made her head spin. "I… don't know…"

"Oi, moss-head, how do you know all this?" Sanji asked suspiciously from the kitchen.

Zoro grunted. "I remember seeing her wanted poster back when I was a bounty hunter."

Sanji turned to Amaya. "You really don't remember, Amaya-chan?"

"No, I…" She fell heavily into a seat at the table, cradling her head in her hands. "It hurts too much to think. I-" She was aware that all eyes were on her, some curious, some concerned… and some impatient.

"Well, if it hurts to think, don't think. Oi, Sanji, let's eat!" Luffy chuckled.

"You would know a thing or two about not thinking," Nami muttered under her breathe.

Amaya gave a small smile, hidden behind her hands, and silently thanked whatever god had steered her into the hands of such good people. She needed to find her crew, but she knew she would never be able to help them in her current state. She had to focus on making a full recovery. She only hoped that when she did, it would not be too late.

And so she accepted the food offered to her with a smile and a "thank you" and watched in awe as the Straw Hats dug in, in Luffy's case _very_ enthusiastically. She looked down at her plate. The meal looked and smelled incredible and her stomach grumbled impatiently. Beside her, Usopp leaned in close, his voice low.

"I'd keep both eyes on your plate if I were you," he said and, as if to prove a point, a cry of pain punctuated his words.

From the corner of her eye, Amaya caught the retreating hand and sulky expression of the captain. She chuckled. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

She speared a piece of the tender meat on her fork and brought it to her lips. It smelled heavenly and her mouth watered in anticipation. She ate slowly at first, but soon gained momentum as her body made its appetite known. It was delicious, as expected, but there was also something so familiar about the taste. She paused to think. Her cook used this meat often in his cooking. Sea king meat, she identified.

_Jasper_.

She dropped her fork, her hand raised to her mouth to muffle a sudden sob. The clamour around her died.

_Jasper, cook to the Red Rain Pirates, stood between Amaya and a faceless enemy. She was wounded, clutching at the ship's rail as she struggled to stay conscious. Jasper had his knives raised, ready to strike, but he made the grave mistake of looking back. It was a mistake that cost him his life. _

_Before her eyes, her cook was struck down, his blood joining the others' on the already red-slicked deck. She felt her stomach lurch as his head rolled sickeningly across the planks to rest at her feet and she had to fight not to lose her breakfast. _

_The enemy was drawing closer and Amaya fumbled for her bo-shuriken, but the blood on her hands made it impossible to grasp the thin steel rods and they clattered uselessly to the ground. She swore and cast her eyes around for a sword. Her gaze fell on Jasper's knives, still clutched tightly in his fists. The enemy saw where her gaze was directed, and lunged at the same time she did, but with a cry of pain, he fell to the ground, motionless._

_"__Amaya!" _

_Amaya almost sobbed with relief as she spotted the broad shoulders and ginger head of her captain, his arm still outstretched in knife-throwing position. "Roland!" She reached out to him and he grasped her hand tightly._

_"__Amaya, you need to get out of here."_

_"__What? No, I'm not leaving you guys here to fight them alone!"_

_"__I'm not giving you a choice, Maya! Go. That's an order."_

_"__But-"_

_"__Are you disobeying your captain's orders? Get the fuck out of here!"_

_Clutching her bleeding side, tears leaving track marks in the blood and grime that caked her cheeks, she watched as he drew his twin sabres and threw himself into the fray. She backed up against the rail, trying to calm her breathing for what she knew lay ahead. Just before she turned to dive into the icy sea below, she saw a sight that made her heart ache._

_Roland was far outnumbered._

The Straw Hats listened to her story with grim faces. When she finished she grew quiet, silent sobs wracking her body. No one spoke for a long time, then Luffy rose to his feet.

"Amaya… We'll help you find your crew. And we'll help you get your captain back." The rest of the crew nodded in unison, determination on their faces.

Amaya looked around at them all, tears welling up in her eyes and streaming down her face.

"Thank you."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Straw Hats**

Rain pattered against the glass pane and Amaya sighed. She had wanted to sit up in the crow's nest and watch the storm from there, but Chopper had forbidden her to leave the medical bay for the rest of the day. She'd had enough excitement for one day, he had decided, and he simply could not risk letting her get her stitches wet. If he were anyone else, she would have disregarded his words and gone anyway, but she had taken a liking to the little doctor, and so begrudgingly stayed in bed, opting to watch the rain from the far too tiny porthole in the wall by her pillow instead.

She looked down at the crumpled pieces of paper scattered across the sheets. For the last few hours she had been attempting to draw her attackers, but her memory was still hazy and she could not seem to get the faces right. With a groan of frustration, she tore out yet another page and crumpled it, tossing it over her shoulder and starting again.

"Does Nami know what you're doing to her notebooks?"

Amaya jumped violently and winced as she felt her stitches stretch uncomfortably. She turned around to glare at the intruder. Her gaze softened, however, when Robin entered, a cup of steaming tea in her hand.

Amaya sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's not me you'll need to apologise to. But I'm sure Nami won't mind. You've been through a lot after all." said Robin, setting the tea down on the table by the bed and gesturing to it. "I thought you might have had enough of Sanji's doting for one day, so I volunteered. He can be… overbearing to say the least."

Amaya gave her a grateful smile before returning to scratching at the paper with her pen. But it wasn't long before she let out a frustrated noise and threw the pen across the room, ignoring the twinge in her side as she did so. She fell back against the pillow, her forearm draped over her eyes.

"It's just like there's a wall in my head and behind that wall are the faces of the men that killed my crew. If I could just get past it…"

Robin smiled down at her. "Perhaps it's for the best. Our minds often repress memories of things we find traumatic, and for good reason. You should be focusing on healing right now."

"I know, I know. I shouldn't force anything, right? It's just… while I'm sitting here recuperating, those bastards are getting further away and I can't…" She choked back a sob, clenching her teeth. She'd cried enough already. "I can't do anything."

Amaya felt a gentle hand on her arm.

"We all know what it's like to lose someone close to us. In some way or another, that's how we all ended up here together. Just know that you're not alone in this."

"I know. And I'm eternally grateful. Your captain is truly amazing," Amaya said, a flicker of awe alight in her midnight eyes.

"That he is," Robin chuckled. "It's rare to find a man so selfless, it's true. He has saved my life not once, but twice now. Perhaps more, in ways I don't even know yet." She smiled. "You can trust him, Amaya-san. We'll find your crew and avenge them if necessary."

Amaya felt the tears beginning to well up again, but she pushed them down. She bit her trembling lip to still it and gave Robin a curt nod, a grateful smile emerging on her face. Silence followed their exchange, comfortable, companionable. She watched Robin as the older woman scanned the half-finished drawings scattered over the duvet.

It was then Amaya noticed the fresh cuts, the blooming bruises that littered Robin's skin, scars of the recent past. There were many scars amongst her new companions, she had noticed. She wanted to draw those scars, and narrate the stories behind them.

"You'll have to tell me your story someday, Robin. Those eyes look they have much to tell."

Robin looked at her, amused. "Someday, perhaps." A far-off look entered her eyes, and for a moment Amaya saw just a hint of the sorrows the woman had endured. She had no doubt that if she looked into the eyes of each member of the crew, she would see the same thing.

After a moment, Robin seemed to snap out of her reverie. "Oh, your tea has grown cold."

"It's okay, I prefer coffee anyway."

Robin smiled. "Me too."

* * *

The storm had cleared by the evening and, with much convincing on her part, Chopper had surrendered and allowed Amaya to get in some fresh air before dinner. She had declined company, still mulling over the day's events: her conversation with Robin, and what she had learned of the Straw Hats in those few short hours since she had awoken.

She learned that they were heading to Fishman Island from Water 7, the same path she and her crew had been sailing before the attack. She learned that their ship, the Thousand Sunny was brand new, and that their newest addition to the crew, Franky, had helped build it. And she had learned from the morning paper she had snatched up from the dining room table (along with the crew's updated wanted posters at which her eyes significantly widened), that just days earlier, the Straw Hats had laid siege to Enies Lobby.

She had heard rumours of a rookie pirate crew rising fast among the ranks. She'd soon realised her newfound companions were the subject of those rumours. She marvelled at their strength and teamwork, facing down CP9 and even a Buster Call for the sake of a crew member and coming out _alive_.

She looked up into the sky, at the stars that winked down at her and silently thanked anyone who would listen for bringing her to these people. If anyone had a chance of helping find and avenge her crew, it was them.

Movement in the crow's nest caught her eye. Through the tower's windows she could see Zoro, shirtless and hard at work, diligently swinging a weighted pole as if it was nothing. His skin glistened with a sheen of sweat, and even from where she was sitting, she could see the scar that wrapped his chest from shoulder to hip.

She watched, mesmerised for a while until she felt a presence behind her.

"Amaya-chan, dinner is ready," said Sanji, his soft voice rousing her from her thoughts.

"I'll be right in Sanji-san, thank you," she replied, casting him a glance over her shoulder with a small smile.

"Alright," he said, smiling back. He made to walk past her, but she stopped him.

"Sanji… What's his story?" she asked hesitantly, nodding her head towards Zoro in the crow's nest. Amaya had only known them for a few short hours, but it had quickly become clear to her that the mysterious swordsman trusted her the least of all. She had barely seen hide nor hair of him all day.

"Who, Zoro?" He shrugged. "We don't really know. Something about wanting to be the greatest swordsman in the word. His words, not mine. My guess is he lost someone though. I mean, we all have."

"You never asked?"

Sanji shook his head. "You could always ask him yourself. I'm not sure how much he'd tell you though. On this ship, what happened in your past… We don't need to know. We take you for who you are now, not who you were."

Amaya nodded. Something in his words echoed what someone had told her a long time ago…

Sanji sighed. "I suppose I should tell him dinner's ready," he grumbled. "OI, MARIMO, GET DOWN HERE OR THERE'LL BE NO FOOD LEFT. I'M NOT MAKING ANY MORE!" he bellowed.

Zoro shouted an unintelligible reply, and Amaya followed Sanji back inside, chuckling to herself.

At least her new companions weren't boring.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Calm Before the Storm**

After two days of ordered bed rest (and Sanji's incredible cooking), Amaya's strength was quickly returning. As reluctant as she had been to stay bound to that tiny hospital bed, she was grateful to the little reindeer for putting his foot (hoof?) down. After checking her wounds to ensure they were healing nicely, Chopper finally gave her free reign to wander the ship, though he stressed that she keep exercise to a minimum.

"No climbing!" he warned, seeing the way her eyes flickered toward the crow's nest. "You'll tear your stitches."

She pouted, but reluctantly agreed. She had been waiting days for an opportunity to thank the green-haired swordsman for saving her life, but he seemed to spend most of his time either sleeping or training high out of reach in the crow's nest. The only time he came anywhere near her was for meals, and even then, so much as making eye contact seemed like a battle.

He mistrusted her; that much was clear. She'd just have to convince him otherwise.

If he ever even gave her the chance.

The rest of the crew, meanwhile, had been nothing but welcoming towards her. In just two days, she had already received three invitations to join the crew (which were becoming increasingly more insistent), multiple confessions of undying love, and she'd even managed to rack up a debt for using up all of Nami's paper, the interest on which appeared to be rising at an alarming rate.

Everything was so overwhelming and as much as she loved the vibrant, lively crew, she longed for a moment of quiet solitude to really process the last few days. She now understood why Zoro spent most of his time in the crow's nest. She just didn't gel with the Straw Hats. She knew it, and she suspected they knew it too. This was all temporary, so why drag it on longer than it needed to be? She would heal and she would find Roland and what was left of her crew, and she and the Straw Hats would part ways. It was how it had to be.

But without a pen and paper to keep her occupied, or the prospect of escaping to the crow's nest, Amaya needed something, anything, to pass the time while she healed. In times like these, she would write in her journals to straighten out her thoughts, the words accompanied by tiny sketches in the margins. But her journals could be at the bottom of the sea by now for all she knew.

She sighed and sat down on the deck with her back against the railing, pulling a bo-shuriken from the holster on her thigh. She began twirling it around her fingers absent-mindedly, like she would a pen while she contemplated the next words to fill the pages of her journals. The weight of the dart was comforting in her hand, perfectly balanced. Usopp had done well to replicate it. Her old darts now looked old and dull in comparison to the newly forged points that shone with an eagerness for battle. Perhaps it was time to replace them all. She would have to talk to Usopp about making a full set.

It was then she remembered she owed the sniper a demonstration. It would be something to do and she needed to talk to him anyway. The sniper had been somewhat nervous around her since her… spirited entrance when they had first met. Perhaps now would be a good time to dispel that wariness towards her.

She found him in his workshop below deck, his back turned to the door and tinkering with something she couldn't see. He hadn't heard her yet—she had always been light on her feet—and she took the opportunity to inspect his workspace.

The room was organised chaos. Tools and junk and paint supplies were bursting from their storage and overflowing onto the floor, and the walls were plastered with diagrams and blueprints with a large banner pinned above them that read "USOPP FACTORY". On one of the papers was a red painted target. She grinned evilly. It was like he was inviting her to mess with him. And she wasn't about to turn down an invitation. She lined up the shot, aimed and threw, the dart sailing clean over Usopp's head and hitting the target neatly in the centre.

Usopp yelped and turned to find her leaning casually against the door jamb. He relaxed when he saw who it was, one hand clutching his restless heart.

"N-nice shot," he offered weakly.

"Thanks," she said, frowning at her target. "I was aiming for you though."

Usopp paled at her words and she laughed.

"I'm kidding. Just wanted to get your attention"

"Well, you have it," he said, eyeing her warily as she walked by him to extract the dart from the wall. "Any special reason?"

Amaya held up the bo-shuriken and smiled innocently. "Just thought you'd might like to know how these work."

"Oh." He wet his lips. "Sure!"

"But I'm bored. So let's make things a little more interesting, shall we?"

His wariness had returned. "What exactly do you have in mind? 'Cause if you need help with target practice, you've got the wrong—"

"You're the sniper on this ship, right?" she interrupted, a grin beginning to spread across her face. She could feel the adrenaline already beginning to flow at the thought of a challenge. After being cooped up for so long, she welcomed it. "Let's make it a competition."

Usopp looked afraid for but a moment before the corner of his mouth quirked in a cocky grin. "You're on! Prepare to witness the amazing skills of the Great Captain Usopp!"

Amaya snorted. "Over-confident much?"

He deflated a little. "Yeah, I'm kinda betting on your wounds being an obstacle, to be honest."

"You underestimate me, Mr. Sniper."

"That's Captain Sniper to you!"

"You have to earn it first."

And he did, not at all to Amaya's surprise. She was far from her best thanks to her injuries, and Usopp's confidence in his abilities was not unfounded. But damned if she didn't put up a good fight. She accepted her defeat graciously, and submitted to having to address Usopp as "Captain" for the rest of the day—at least until Luffy found out and put a stop to it.

Afterwards, she lay sprawled on the deck with Luffy, Chopper and Usopp, her sides aching with laughter. She had always loved storytelling, and the stories they told had put her in serious danger of tearing her stitches.

She told Chopper as much (in jest, of course), but of course the naïve little doctor took her for serious and further prohibited Amaya from laughing any more. A decision that prompted Luffy and Usopp to burst into another fit of laughter, and Amaya to follow soon after while Chopper looked on in dismay.

When their laughter had finally died down, Luffy spoke up.

"Maya?"

Her heart twinged at the nickname. Only Roland had ever called her that. "Yeah?"

"What's your dream?"

She blushed and shook her head. "It's silly, really. Nothing as grand as becoming King of the Pirates, or the Greatest Swordsman in the World."

"I won't laugh, I promise."

"I… want to tell peoples' stories. I want the world to hear their voices. But most of all, I want to be there when it happens, when they—whoever 'they' might be—find the One Piece. I want to be there to witness it so I can tell that story."

"That's not a silly dream at all," Luffy said softly and Amaya felt a swell of affection for the strange young captain. He grinned widely. "Just stick with us! 'Cause I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"

Amaya laughed, unable to ignore Luffy's contagious grin. "Not if my Roland gets there first," she teased.

"Let him try!"

"Oi!" Zoro's voice cut through the chatter and laughter and Amaya looked up to find his head peeking out of the crow's nest, his gaze directed at her. "There's a ship ahead."

Wordlessly, Usopp passed her a spyglass from his pocket and she rushed to the bow, bringing the glass to her eye before she had even stopped moving. There, in the distance, was a ship, just as Zoro had said. It appeared to be drifting into the wind, anchor up, sails flapping uselessly around its masts, but she could still see the Jolly Rodger flying proudly atop the mizzen—a skull with an eye patch surrounded by falling red rain.

Her chest ached at the memory of it being hoisted as Roland christened the brand new vessel. The Scarlet Storm.

"I've found you," she whispered under her breath. "At last."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A Thunder in the Distance**

_I've found you at last!_

"Franky, bring us up beside it!"

Amaya barely registered Nami's voice as Franky steered the Sunny to rest alongside the other ship. Before the gap between them had even fully closed, she vaulted over the railings and across the stretch of dark ocean below to a chorus of protests from the Straw Hats. They fell on deaf ears. She landed heavily on the deck of the Scarlet Storm and rolled to absorb the force of the landing, wincing as pain shot through her side. She clutched her ribs and clenched her teeth, willing the pain away until it was just a dull throb. Vaguely, she registered something warm and wet against the palm of her hand, but she ignored that too.

She couldn't falter. Not now.

Stumbling ever so slightly, but gaining strength with every passing second, she rose to her feet and looked upon the carnage that lay before her. Behind her, Amaya heard the heavy footfalls of the Straw Hats as they followed her onto the ship, and then heard them fall silent as they too were met with the terrible sight.

It was the smell that hit them first—the bitter miasma of decay, the copper tang of blood so strong they could almost taste it. Amaya stared with wide eyes, unable to look away from the neat line of bodies arranged side by side across the stained deck. There was something deliberate in the way they had been placed, as if someone had wanted her to see it.

"No," she choked. "No, this can't be happening."

She felt a presence by her elbow, caught a flash of green in her peripheral, but the tears in her eyes blurred her view. Zoro hovered by her side uncertainly for a moment, then strode forward, a wary hand on the swords at his hip, to examine the bodies.

Amaya watched him, unable to move, unable to breath, and waited for him to confirm her fears. He looked up at her and shook his head.

She heard Sanji curse under his breath and felt his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off, lurching forward on legs that suddenly refused to do her bidding. She couldn't see Roland's hulking form among the others. She had to be sure.

"Amaya-chan!" he called after her.

She ignored him. She fell to her knees beside the bodies—her crewmates, her _nakama_—and fought back the bile rising in her throat as she looked into their cold eyes. She lingered only as long as she had to to confirm that her captain was not one of the dead, then she scrambled away just in time to retch over the side of the ship.

Wiping her mouth, Amaya turned back to the Straw Hats. Some of them were watching her with concern, the others could not take their eyes off the bodies, pale-faced and teary-eyed.

"Roland—my captain—isn't here. He must have escaped, or they took him, or…" She couldn't stop her voice from shaking.

Luffy stepped forward, his face grim. "We'll find him, Maya."

"Let's search the rest of the ship," said Sanji.

Amaya nodded gratefully to them both.

The interior cabins were in shambles, clothes and books and other belongings scattered every which way across the floor. Drawers had been pulled out, cupboards emptied, even the beds had been upturned and the mattresses slit open, their contents coating everything like a blanket of snow.

"Someone was looking for something," Zoro growled, hand moving to caress the hilt of his white katana.

"The question is: did they find it?" Sanji muttered in reply.

Nami turned to Amaya. "Do you have any idea what they were looking for?"

Amaya shook her head, not trusting her voice to speak. Instead, she gestured for the others to wait there and drew three bo-shuriken from their holster, clutching them tightly between her knuckles like claws. Poised ready for action, she moved cautiously into the last room—the one she had shared with the other women of the crew.

Much like the rest of the ship, it was deserted and in complete disarray. Clothes had been strewn across the floor and furniture upended. In the corner by a bed, a trunk had been broken into, its padlock lying twisted and broken on the floor, and its contents—a series of handwritten journals—rifled through and tossed carelessly aside.

Simmering with rage, Amaya stalked over to the mess and knelt down to pick up a journal that laid open, face down on the floor. It had evidently been trampled underfoot, its spine broken and cover hanging loose. Several pages slipped out and fluttered noisily to the floor as she lifted it to examine the damage. Her eyes skimmed the words on a loose page and immediately filled with tears.

_Finally, I've found somewhere I belong._

She had cried while writing those words—she could still see the tear stains on the pages—and she cried now, clutching the book tightly to her chest.

Someone cleared their throat at the door and Amaya looked up to find Zoro standing at the threshold. When he saw her red-rimmed eyes and the tear tracks on her cheeks, he seemed to panic, averting his gaze from her face and becoming suddenly very interested in a spot somewhere over her shoulder.

"You might want to come out here," he said. "We found someone. Alive, but not for much longer."

She hurriedly wiped her tears and, journal still clutched tightly in her arms, followed him into the medical bay. It was the least ransacked of all the rooms, but a dark red pool coated the floor and bloody footprints indicated towards some sort of altercation in the room. Propped against a blood spattered wall was a man Amaya had never seen before.

He was badly injured and it had appeared he had tried (and failed) to patch himself up, in the process spilling suture needles, bandages and other paraphernalia onto the floor around him. He looked up at her as she entered the room and gave her a crooked grin. His front teeth had been knocked out and his lips were sticky and red.

"There you are, little mouse." He paused briefly as a wet, hacking cough wracked his body and blood dribbled down his chin. "I knew you'd be back."

The Straw Hats all looked to Amaya, bewilderment on their faces. She felt her blood begin to boil.

"We've been looking for you," the man said. "You have something we want."

"You mean…" Her voice was dangerously low. "All of this violence, all of this death… was to get to me?"

"_Ding-ding-ding!_ Got it in one, kiddo. Your captain could have prevented it. Your crew could have just walked away if he hadn't been so stubborn and handed you over. And, well, here we are."

Amaya lunged forward, ignoring the cries from the Straw Hats, and pressed the sharp point of her bo-shuriken against the fragile skin of the man's neck. He laughed.

"What have you done with him?" she hissed, pressing harder until a trickle of fresh blood joined the rest on his stained shirt collar.

He shrugged, a movement that only drove the point deeper into his neck and prompted more blood to flow. "They took him with them."

"Why?"

He looked her dead in the eye and she saw the pain he was in. He probably couldn't even feel the prick of her shuriken amongst the agony of his wounds.

"Bait," he said simply and grinned.

Amaya gripped his lapel and slammed him back against the wall. The room was silent except for the man's laboured breathing. She leaned in close, ignoring the smell of the man's festering wounds.

"Who do you work for?"

The man only laughed, though it sounded more like a gurgle. A trail of blood began to seep from the corner of his lips. She slammed him back against the wall again, harder this time. He kept laughing.

"_WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?_"

His laughter faded away but an infuriating grin still split his face. His eyes were glazed over and his breathing uneven.

"J… Joker," he said.

And then was dead.

Amaya let go of him with an exclamation of disgust and he slumped back against the wall. She didn't recognise the name he had spoken. She couldn't fathom what this '_Joker_' could want with her, with Roland.

She got to her feet and immediately stumbled, her vision fading fast. Sanji rushed to her side to hold her upright. The cigarette between his lips had burned down to almost nothing and he worried the stub between his teeth.

"Let's get you back to the Sunny and then decide what to do, yeah?"

The others all murmured their agreement.

The second her feet touched the deck of the Sunny, Chopper was rushing to her side.

"Your wound has opened, I _told_ you not to do anything stupid like that!"

"I'm sorry, I—" _I won't do it again_, she had wanted to say. But she already knew she couldn't keep that promise. Roland was alive, but who knew for how long.

She suspected she'd be doing many more stupid things before this was over.


End file.
